Stroud District Council s1

STROUD DISTRICT COUNCIL

Job Description

Designation: Income Management Officer

Grade: Stroud 4

Hours: 37

Location: Ebley Mill

Job Purpose:

·  To maximise rental and other income streams owed to the Housing Service of the Council and contribute to the delivery excellence in terms of personal and service performance, focussed on customer outcomes. To ensure all recovery processes deliver best practice and contribute to a continuously improving service.

Responsible to: Principal Income Officer

Responsible for: None

Key Duties:

·  Undertake all aspects of income recovery, including: arrears notification and advice to tenants, making agreements for repayment, monitoring cases, preparing papers for court action, presenting cases at court, arranging and attending eviction, etc., all in accordance with current procedures.

·  Where appropriate visit tenants in arrears and undertake income and expenditure, personal budgeting and money management assistance to assist in sustaining tenancies.

·  Monitor and manage rent account and other debts, including: service charges, charges to leaseholders, garage rent and charges, sundry debts and others as directed, in line with procedures

·  To liaise with and maintain good working relationships with all relevant external agencies to ensure tenants receiving difficulties are referred appropriately for support.

·  Prepare and sign off Notices of Seeking Possession and any other notices which are required to commence recovery proceedings and represent the council in court action.

·  Be ICT literate and use technology to improve performance in the collection of debt, maintaining accurate records for management and audit purposes.

·  To be able to give advice on general housing management.

·  To own and take responsibility for continuous personal development in the delivery of a housing management service.

Work is subject to deadlines involving changing problems, circumstances or demand

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

·  Appropriate experience of income management and recovery

·  Sound knowledge of welfare benefits and money advice

·  Good communication and negotiation skills

·  Ability to deal with people in difficult and challenging situations

·  Good communication and customer service skills

Ability to undertake work concerning more involved tasks confined to one function or area of activity, which requires a good standard of practical knowledge and skills in that area of activity

Complexity and Creativity

·  To understand the complexity in terms of income, benefits, health, family, legal and other issues that may contribute to a tenants arrears, and have the ability to understand these and assist with practical advice and referrals to other agencies in finding solutions that will enable the tenancy to be sustained

·  To have the creativity of approach, to be able to find effective solutions to the above. This must be exercised within the general framework of recognised procedures

Judgement and Decisions

·  Work is carried out within the programmes and objectives where there is a wide range of choices and where advice is not normally available and/or decisions where policy, procedures and working standards provide only general guidelines

Contacts

·  Tenants

·  Members of the Council

·  Members and staff of other local authorities/partner agencies and organisations

·  Court Officers and Judges

·  Members of the public

The exercising of good judgement will be required, and communications with any party not considered appropriate, should be raised with your manager

Resources

Little or no responsibility for physical or financial resources

General

·  To ensure that at all times service delivery informs, reflects and supports the Council’s prevailing aims and objectives.

·  To work with colleagues across the organisation as required in support of organisational goals.

·  To promote the Council’s overall commitment to equality of opportunity/diversity at all times and work within the requirements of the Council’s Equality Scheme.

·  To undertake all training and development initiatives as required.

·  To work within Health and Safety guidelines in accordance with the Health and Safety at work Act.

·  To work within the requirements of the Council’s Environmental Policy and Management System.

·  To undertake any appropriate duties to meet the Council’s obligations under the Civil Contingencies Act.

Miscellaneous

·  Post requires Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)check

·  Requirement to take cash payments off site as appropriate, subject to the direction of the Tenancy Operations Manager and a risk assessment

Travel Designation

¡  Essential Car User (under review)

This job description is a reflection of the present position and is subject to review and alteration in detail and emphasis in the light of future changes or developments.